The next common city trip with Mathijs brought us to Lisbon – into the sun! I must admit, my expectations were very high since almost everyone seems to like Lisbon. But – Lisbon managed to even exceed these expectations. Why… I will tell you now in this blog article. If you just quickly want to see the photos, you can find them here: Photos!

On our first day we woke up in our accommodation at Praca da Figuiera to this view:

How can you stay in bed for long with this waiting for you? So we went to explore the city and first took a stroll in the direction of Praca do Comercio, a big square which used to be the point of arrival for all ships to Lisbon.

We then walked via Rossio back to the Igreja de Sao Roque (church) and Convento do Carmo. I was especially impressed by the Convento, or the ruins which are left of it. In addition, you always have great views from all kind of Miradoures (viewpoints) in all directions and over different parts of the city.

Our walk led us further through the districts Chiado and Santa Catarina, through many little alleys, over many stairs, up and down… past old trams and crumbling houses where the laundry is hanging to dry in the wind… Lots of charm! 🙂

We then took the tram to Belem, a part of the city where the delicious Pasteis de Belem originate from. They definitely taste the best at the original bakery there! Yuuummm!! 🙂

Later, we visited the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos – another highlight for me, while Mathijs didn’t find it so special. After a quick detour to the Torre de Belem we took the tram back to the city…

On our second day we focused on the Eastern part of the center and strolled through the Alfama district, through little alleys leading steeply up to the fortress. Then we continued via multiple viewpoints further to the Igreja de Sao Vicente de Fora (church) and to the Panteo Nacional. Another awesome walk! 🙂

In the afternoon we went to the park Jardim da Estrela where we relaxed a little and then still visited the Basilica da Estrela.

On Sunday, we went on a day trip to Sintra. There, we definitely really wanted to see the Palacio da Pena, but had not read up enough about it to know that it’s located high up a mountain. Let me tell you – the Hop On Hop Off bus is worth its money! The distances are just too big otherwise, especially up the mountain… We unfortunately lost a bit of time because of this, so didn’t get to see much else than the Palacio. The Palacio itself was great!! Probably bit kitschy to be honest with all the different colours and shapes, but well… 🙂 In any case, Sintra is definitely worth an excursion!

Our last day was spent relaxing at the beach near Cascais… Bye Lisbon – we had a wonderful summer weekend here and you definitely made it into the top 10 of my favourite cities ever! 🙂